ATLANTA — Police are investigating how a handcuffed man slipped away from custody and leaped through a third story Downtown Atlanta window during an escape attempt Monday morning.
He crashed onto the Walton Street sidewalk below and later died from his injuries.
Investigators said the unidentified man was at the Fulton County Pre-Trial Services Office at 34 Peachtree St. to undergo intervention for a drug charge.
Fulton County deputies said they discovered a weapon in the building and traced it back to him.
After placing the man in handcuffs and putting him in a conference room, they said the man made a desperate escape attempt by jumping through the window. He landed face first on the sidewalk below.
"I heard some people scream and people scatter," said one witness. "I was just in shock."
Georgia State student Rehmat Khan was in a friend's apartment in the building across the street when he heard the crashing glass.
"We were just hanging out before class and all of a sudden, there was a crack, like a big boom," said Khan. "Then he says, 'Dude, there's a body outside.'"
The man remained in handcuffs on the sidewalk for several minutes before EMTs arrived to rush him to Grady. He died a few hours later.
Both Atlanta police and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office Department of Internal Affairs are investigating.
https://twitter.com/RElliotWSB/status/651411815457529857
"At this time, all the events that occurred leading up to this are under investigation," said APD Detective Michael O'Connor.
"Everyone's in shock," said Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Lt. Dan Cochran. "This is an ongoing investigation, so everyone is shocked, but everyone is also doing their jobs."
Police are withholding the man's identification until after they notify his next of kin.